Star Crossed Lovers
by Zyii
Summary: Kaitlin didn't think that juggling her home life and her Hogwarts would be so difficult when she'd managed it for so long. Being a teenager sucked. Boys were stupid. Friends were complicated. School was hard. Kaitlin has been pining after her best friend since she was thirteen, except they weren't friends anymore...they barely even spoke. How will Kaitlin survive this year?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I merely play in the sandbox.

Star Crossed Lovers 2019 Rewrite

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I originally wrote this back in 2012, I had just finished at University and was looking for something to fill my time while I searched for a job. Originally posted on my old account on . The original draft of this makes me cringe! My writing back then was terrible, I am grateful that I have improved with time. I had been reading a lot of Next Generation Harry Potter stories at the time and this seed of a plot burrowed into my brain and demanded attention. I have expanded the original story to make it more flowy and to give the plot a better chance at standing on its own two feet. This is a James (II) Potter/OC story. Each chapter is from a different character POV and there is an insight to each character (how I wrote/interpreted them) at the beginning of each chapter. I realise I have more or less grouped everyone in the same year, though I don't actually mention it as such. I understand that they would be in different years but for the sake of this story I merged them together.

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**Insight into OC Kaitlin: **

Hi, I'm Kaitlin. Life has been unkind to me but it's changing for the better. See, when I started at Hogwarts, it was really tough, and I was this little kid with no friends and no confidence. Then I met wicked cool people who made the bad stuff feel like a dream. I met Crystal Carr first, she's a real handful and the type of person who will tell you the honest truth, bluntly, all the time, even if you didn't ask for it. Then I met Rose Weasley, and I used to think she was just interested in books, but she's mellowed out recently. Finally I met the Potter's, Lily, Albus and James. Lily makes me laugh, she's so in your face and unafraid, sometimes I wish I could be more like her. Then there is Albus, he's incredibly loyal and friendly, he always tells me that I make his days better. Then there is James, he didn't notice me until a few years back but now he notices me all the time. There's a catch though…he only sees me as a sister. We used to be really close, then he discovered girls and I was no longer important to him. That's a problem because I'm head over heals in love with him!

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**Chapter One - Kaitlin**

Staring up at the Hogwarts Express never got old. It always filled me with a sense of longing and excitement. I always found myself wondering at the magic around me and thanking my lucky stars that I was born with magic. I was going into my sixth year at Hogwarts and I couldn't wait to be back at the castle. Summer was…an all-consuming nightmare. I would have stayed in the castle if I'd had a choice, but they don't allow students to stay on through the summer, so I'd had to return to the hell of my home life.

I pulled my hair over my face as far as I could, nervously rubbing my arms with my hands. My hair had been cut this summer (not my choice) and it was cut badly, (on purpose.) I put cream on my hair and used a cheap spell to try and hide it, but I was really scared that someone would notice, someone like Lily. Lily had been trying to figure out my secret for years, not about me being in love with James (she's known that forever), but the other one, the where I spend my summers one…the one about my family. I don't want anyone to know and that suits me just fine. Lily can keep on asking questions and I'll just keep on ignoring them, like I'd been doing for years now.

You may be wondering why I hadn't told James I liked him, I mean my brain asks that question daily. See, James had a girlfriend and not a nice one that would be hard to hate. James dates a bipolar girl, I mean I don't think she has bipolar but it's in the way she acts so nice towards James but such a bitch to everyone else. Especially me, she doesn't like me at all.

I've learnt to block her out. Thing about James was that he was rather gullible. Whomever he was dating became the voice of knowledge. James was known for believing his current girlfriend over friends he'd known for years and even siblings. It was an unflattering trait. I knew that Lily was pissed off with the way James had changed in the last year. I mean, it had gotten worse and I didn't like it either, but he had a right to live his life and date who he wanted – even if it turned him into a total douche bag! If she made him happy then who was I to interfere? If she hurts him I'm not opposed to slitting her throat…

Still, as I gazed up at the Hogwarts Express, the red coat gleaming in the sunlight, I reminded myself that I was a good person. Like many creatures I've adapted to the life I lead. I had a sharp tongue (which I definitely put to good use over the summer), but I haven't been brave enough to use it much at school. I had always been more of a 'keep quiet and keep your head down' but after this summer I had decided that I needed a change. My normal approach to life was no longer working. So why bother. I should just let people see the real sarcastic me. If someone comes for me this term, they're going to regret it. I guess I grew a backbone over the summer or perhaps I just reached my limit and snapped.

I scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. I tried to portray the confidence I was not feeling inside. Clenching and clenching my hands, I tried to cool myself down.

"Kaitlin, Kaitlin, over here," came Lily's voice, shouting over the crowds of others.

I was drawn to her voice like a moth to a flame. It always confused me how Lily sounded so happy all the time, even when she was cross!

"Lily," I shouted in reply as I finally managed to push my way through the crowd and hugged her fiercely.

"I've missed you," she said while trying to squeeze all the oxygen out of me.

"Lily, I can't breathe."

She slapped me playfully on the shoulder. I winced, that girl had a hidden strength.

"How was your summer?" she asked.

"Alright, say old thing, you know?"

"What? That's it? No adventures or cute boys? Tell me you didn't spend all day indoors."

"Nope, I lived, just not as extravagantly as you," I replied and, hoping she'd stop interrogating me, I asked how her summer was.

"Same old. James had the nerve to invite that skank over, urgh! It didn't take Mum long to see her true colours. She said it was just like when Uncle Ron was dating this Lavender girl. It's funny though, I've never seen Mum have to pretend to like one of James's girlfriends. Granted, this is the first girl he's brought home but still, it was a bit of a surprize to us all. None of us thought they were serious," she said.

"Oh," was all I could think of to say and it fell flat as Lily's words.

I hadn't realized that James was serious about this girl, I had hoped that it was just a passing fling like all the others and that he would miraculously realize he had deep feelings for me – like he did in my dreams. It was stupid to think that way but my feelings for James went way beyond an ordinary girl crush. I was in so deep I was drowning.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," muttered Lily.

To my utter embarrassment, James Potter was heading our way. I wished I didn't get butterflies every time I saw him. I hoped he didn't notice my hair.

"Hey Kaitlin," he said in his ridiculously sinful voice that made me melt inside.

"Hi James," I replied breathlessly.

He smirked, that James Potter smirk of his that sent all the thoughts in my head into disarray and turned me into a bumbling idiot.

"Good summer?" he asked.

"It was alright."

"Lily here missed you loads and so did Al."

_I wish you missed me_ I thought.

"How was your summer?" I asked, cringing in suspense over what he would say.

"It was great. Harmony came over and met the parents. I think she made a good impression, isn't that great?"

"Yeah," I replied lamely.

My heart panged with memories of our friendship that was now practically cockroaches in the dirt. I wished I had the confidence to speak my mind and not become so socially awkward.

James was looking at me, the look in his eye was intense and I found myself blushing under the scrutiny. I caught his eye for a moment and it was like we were in a different time and place. Lily broke our connection with her voice and I couldn't help but feel I'd lost something.

"Here comes Harmony," she said and then added in a mumble, "the she devil."

"Hi Jamesy, I've been looking everywhere for you," she said.

Harmony was one of those girls who was incredibly clingy and think that type of sugar sweet talk was attractive. She was a popular girl, a liar and a criminal – in my eyes only and I was happy to continue feeling that way. She was bad news and had somehow got her claws into James. I hated her.

"Sorry love, I've been talking to family," he replied, leaning in to give her a kiss.

_If I have to put up with seeing them kiss all year, I'm going to need therapy._

"Oh how silly of me, I didn't see them there."

_Really? Like I just saw you walk up to all three of us. I didn't know Harmony was blind as well as stupid!_

Lily and I exchanged a roll of the eye. How James couldn't see past his rose-tinted glasses was beyond me. Then again, love does blind people, but I refused to believe that James was really in love with her. It was like saying Santa Claus was married to the devil. It just wouldn't happen.

"Why are you blind?" asked Lily.

Harmony's eyes darkened, "no, you're just too pathetic to notice."

This was usual Harmony behaviour, what wasn't usual was that she was doing it in front of James. Usually when James was present she was sickly sweet and kept up with her fake persona. She usually saved this ugly bitch persona for when she was away from James and could bully others to her hearts content.

This would be the part where James was supposed to step in and tell his girlfriend to shut up and not call his sister and friend pathetic, but he didn't.

"At least I'm not a first-rate bitch," said Lily.

I could see her shaking with barely concealed anger, he eyes were hard and dark, she was itching for a fight with Harmony. I could feel my own body preparing for things to get ugly. With every word Harmony said, I bristled with anger, my jaw tensing under the weight of my anger.

"Lily, that's enough!" said James firmly.

Lily shook her head, disappointed with her brother and I too couldn't believe he had let Harmony get away with insulting his own sister.

"James she's a bitch and everyone knows it. It's not my problem you're too blind to see it. She's also a bully and bullies one of your best friends, which FYI you completely ignore. So do me a favour big brother, stay the hell away from me till you've come to your senses. Oh and Mum was faking her happiness, she doesn't like Harmony either," said Lily in a furiously control voice.

It was scary to see her so. I wanted to bring the happy-go-lucky Lily back into place. Lily stormed off after saying her piece and left me to be the awkward wheel to James and Harmony. I should have walked away but I couldn't seem to move.

Harmony looked murderous while James was expressionless. I felt sick. Lily had just said what I wanted to say. Perhaps it was a good thing she'd said it instead of me because James probably would have exploded if I'd said it. I wondered how long Lily had kept those thoughts inside her over the summer. I was surprised she had lasted so long before she exploded.

"How dare she say that to me," screamed Harmony.

It was a horrible sound, like nails on a chalkboard.

"I am none of those things Jamesy, and your sister is a liar. Why didn't you stick up for me? Your sister is a bitch, she's trying to split us up. She should be locked away for her lies."

Through her entire tirade, James remained silent and eventually his eyes locked with mine. I wondered what had happened to the carefree, confident man I'd seen growing up behind those eyes. I'd never seen James so submissive before, it was both scary and repulsive. I couldn't believe how much he'd changed just for a girl to notice him.

I sighed, gathering my courage for what might be the last moment of my friendship with James.

"James, you're being a dick, not just to me but to your other friends and family. Grow up and stop seeing what you want to see and start looking at reality. Harmony, please don't lie, you really aren't that good at it. You're a bitch and a bully and frankly I've had enough of your vile attitude. The sooner James realizes who you truly are the better."

I felt strangely empowered for saying what I felt, until I tried to walk away and got caught by James's quick Quidditch reflexes.

"What the hell Kaitlin?" he snarled.

I just stared at his hand on my arm, the pressure he applied was causing me pain and I willed him to let go. This was not the James I knew, and it was scaring me.

"How dare you talk to me and Harmony like that! Where is this coming from? It isn't like you to speak up like this," he said.

I almost felt sorry for him. Six years and he still acted as if he knew me. He knew nothing.

_Remember I spoke about reaching my limit and snapping? I snapped so hard here I became a different person. Well, I became the person I had always been but the person I had hidden from everyone else._

"Oh Jamesy," I said, adopting a sickly-sweet voice and one so often used by the vile girl standing before me. "You don't know anything about me. I can talk to you and Harmony however I like, after all she talks to me how she likes. How would you know what I'm like James? You've never bothered to ask me any personal questions in the six years that I've known you. I don't want to be your friend right now James, I mean, it's not as if we've been friends for a while. You seem to like denial so much that regardless of who tells you the truth, you'll always believe Harmony first. It makes me sick but none of us can make you drink the water, we can only lead you to it."

"I'm not in denial. Harmony is an amazing witch. I'm happy to be with her."

"Really? That's the line you're going with? What made you do it? What made you want to date the one girl whose made my life hell for six years? Did our friendship really mean that little to you?"

"I know lots about you," he said, deflecting.

"Prove it."

"Your favourite colour is read, and you love chocolate frogs," he said triumphantly.

I looked at him with disbelief, wishing with all my heart that I didn't love him as I did.

"You're wrong," I managed to say before walking away.

Weaving through the crowds and dragging my trunk behind me, I finally managed to get onto the Hogwarts Express and began searching compartments for Lily. It was always rammed in the corridor and difficult to get through without bumping into other people or gaining bruises.

I eventually found Lily after about fifteen minutes of jostling past people. She was crammed into a compartment with Crystal, Albus, Rose and Scorpius. James hated Scorpius but he and Albus were good friends. Besides, everyone knew that Scorpius and Rose liked each other. We'd all taken bets on when they would get together. Lily seemed to have calmed down since her outburst at James and no doubt she'd been moaning about it prior to my arrival.

"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you," she demanded with her arms crossed over her chest and a stern look in her eyes.

_Seriously._

"Thanks for leaving me after you'd said your piece. You left me with no way to dig out of the hole you'd made."

"Oops."

"Don't pout at me, I'm trying to be mad at you."

"Look I'm sorry alright? Sometimes I get so angry I just need to excuse myself. What happened when I left?"

"Harmony went off about how mean you were and why didn't James stand up for her etc. Oh and she also recommended that you should be locked up for your lies."

"What did James do?"

"What do you think? He did nothing of course, Harmony could poison him, and he'd still be singing her praises."

"What did you do?"

"I might have borrowed some of your sass and unleashed a fury similar to your outburst…"

"Wait, wait, wait!" said Crystal (my best friend ever!), she was smiling one of her big smiles that stretched from ear to ear.

"You unleashed fury onto James? Feisty!"

"I thought you weren't going to get involved," said Albus.

"I reached my limit."

"Yeah, out of all of us, Kaitlin has endured the most from Harmony Albus," said Lily.

"Look, I know he's your brother Albus and you want him to be happy, but I can't ignore the way Harmony treats me anymore. I'm not going to lie down and take her abuse just because James can't see who she really is."

"Wow," said Rose, peaking up from behind her book.

"You've changed," said Scorpius.

"I second that. What happened over the summer?" asked Albus.

"I snapped," I replied coolly.

I knew I should be kinder, these were my friends after all, but I couldn't risk them knowing about my secret – which was getting larger by the second.

"Ok," said Lily, staring intently at me. I felt myself shrink under her gaze.

The topic, thankfully, moved away from me and my newly grown backbone. I didn't mean to sound mean, but I'd kept this secret for the better part of six years and just because it happened to have gotten worse, didn't mean I was going to suddenly crumble down. I squeezed myself into a corner of the carriage, wincing in pain as my body was battered against the window.

The train ride went smoothly, all things considered. I left the carriage compartment halfway through in search of some food and a toilet break. I came upon them quite suddenly. I was going to continue walking, not wanting to hear more mushy love fool talking but then I heard my name and against my better judgement, I stayed to listen.

As I listened, my heart tightened in my chest, my eyes became sore with unshed tears and I struggled to control my breathing. It was as if the world had crashed down before me and I couldn't help but think of how foolish I'd been. Of course he didn't like me, I was nothing to him. I'd been living in a deluded fantasy for so long that I'd started to believe it was real. In reality he was only tolerating me because I was his sister's friend. Still the words stuck in my head; 'she means nothing to me, ' just using her, 'too blind to see,' 'I don't know her' and 'I don't like her.'

The words circled faster and faster in my mind until it was all just a blur. I couldn't see. Stars began to appear across my vision as I stumbled away. My recently acquired backbone crumbled from within and pushed me onto the floor like dead weight. I tried to heave myself up but too hard. Romeo and Juliet had it easy. I meant nothing to him. The darkness appeared, and I welcomed it like an old friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter, I merely play in the sandbox.

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**Chapter Two – James**

Entering my sixth year filled me with more excitement than any other year. There was something special about sixth year. I felt more like a man going into this year.

Everyone told me I was like my Grandfather, James Potter, though I never knew him and can't be sure that I'm really like him at all. Dad always called me a troublemaker, but he'd always said it in a loving way, so I'd never really thought to change my ways.

I'd discovered girls in year four and taken to chasing them like a duck to water. Dad says I must have got my natural charm from Mum. It was always about the chase, never the capture.

Then I met Harmony and it changed. She'd been so sweet and shy when I met her. I felt like a complete dunce when I asked her out, stunned beyond belief that I had never noticed her before. A lot of girls value me for my name of for my parents, but Harmony had seemed different. She wanted to get to know me and not all that extra stuff. Admittedly, the relationship had progressed faster than any other I'd been in but if it feels right, it is right…right?

I moved slowly as Harmony pulled me along in search of a compartment. My mind was still going over what had just happened, and I walked with zombie-like stiffness and I tried to sort through everything.

My sister's outrage I could believe, she didn't exactly like Harmony. They were like chalk and cheese and she'd expressed her dislike over the summer…but I hadn't expected Kaitlin's response. Sweet, kind, Kaitlin who kept her head down and followed others. Why did it shock me so that she had stood up for herself? It wasn't just that she'd insulted Harmony, no, it was more than that. I felt an urge in my body that willed me to smash something, to shout in anger and I'd never got that feeling from Kaitlin before, just as I'd never seen her act that way before.

She had almost looked in pain as she spoke to me and it was an image I couldn't erase from my mind. I couldn't help but think for a moment that I'd done something wrong, but I brushed that feeling away. Kaitlin was just a friend, and really, she was more Lily's friend than mine. I hadn't even noticed her till second year, when I realised she'd attached herself to our group like a limpet. I mean, we were good friends from second to fourth year, but we'd drifted since then. Friends came and went, it wasn't the end of the world.

I'm not going to lie, Kaitlin grew up A LOT during her fourth summer, she came back in fifth year looking like a woman which wasn't hard to notice. Kaitlin had been a good friend, but she wasn't someone I was going to spend my life with and she should be happy that I'd found someone as wonderful as Harmony.

Kaitlin had always been a bit quiet but had been fun to hang around with and was always up for some pranking or general mischief. She used to take it from everybody, but that outburst earlier told me that she wasn't going to take it anymore. I don't know why it bothered me so much when it shouldn't. Kaitlin wasn't anyone special, not really. Besides, I had Harmony, gorgeous, sweet and kind Harmony.

Recently though, if I was being honest with myself, I was starting to see a side of Harmony that I didn't know existed. Our relationship thus far had been full of wonder and amazing make-out sessions, but I couldn't deny that she wasn't mean. I refused to believe that she was bullying Kaitlin though, to be honest I think that was just Lily trying to lie in order to get me to break up with Harmony. It didn't work of course, because I saw through Lily's eyes and Kaitlin would have told me if she was being bullied. Not by Harmony of course, but by someone else.

It was hard to believe that Kaitlin would lie about something like that, but I knew she was. Maybe our friendship had meant more to Kaitlin than it had to me or maybe she was jealous that she no longer had my full attention. Whatever the reason, I found her behaviour to be very petty.

I do sometimes see Kaitlin crying in the common room, which she really shouldn't be doing at 16. She seems so alone in those moments, half of me wants to go and comfort her while the other half stays to the side and watches.

Lily says she has a secret. Lily has always believed that Kaitlin had a secret and she's been trying to uncover it for years, but Kaitlin never budges. It makes me wonder what she's hiding. I also wonder what makes her cry at night and why she never mentions her family. She's a hard nut to crack and I don't understand why I want to find out what's underneath her thick exterior. I don't understand why I want answers now, five years on, when I haven't once cared to ask before. Something about he is puzzling me, and I find myself wanting to know more and yet at the same time I know I shouldn't.

It's maddening. I'm a Quidditch star. I have a hot girlfriend and good grades. I shouldn't be bothering with this stuff but why was I?

"Jamesy, you haven't listened to a word I've said, have you?" moaned Harmony.

_Shit_, I realised I'd zoned out. If there was one thing I'd learned from being a boyfriend, it was that you should never get caught zoning out when your girlfriend was talking.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About me I hope," she said with twinkling eyes.

"Yeah," I lied.

"We really need to get you some new friends."

"Excuse me?"

"Your friends are horrid, and you deserve better ones. Why should you slum with them when they don't treat you right? Why should you put up with them when they're mean to me? Especially that Kaitlin girl, she hates me, and I have no idea why…I'm always so kind to her."

Lately, I'd noticed that a lot of our conversations included Kaitlin. I didn't get it, yeah Katlin and I had been close friends at one point, but we rarely hung out nowadays. Surely Harmony couldn't see Kaitlin as a threat, could she? Kaitlin was just Kaitlin. We were just friends.

"Kaitlin's just a friend Harmony."

"But you were always so close, and she looks at you like a lovesick puppy. Are you sure you weren't more?"

I stared confusedly at Harmony, Kaitlin didn't stare at me like that. Mostly she just stared at me with disappointment and that was when she did look at me. Mostly she just avoided eye contact.

"No. There is nothing to it. Kaitlin means nothing to me. She's just a friend. In fact, she's more Lily's friend than mine. I don't really know her anymore."

"Then why do you always hang out with her?"

"I use her for getting homework answers, that's all. It's not my fault she's so blind and stuck in the past. I don't like her at all really."

I heard a distinct thump from outside and couldn't help but think I'd just committed a scandalous atrocity, but as I stared into Harmony's eyes, my world shrunk back to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter, I merely play in the sandbox.

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**Insight into Lily Potter – **Hi, I'm Lily and people say I'm 'outrageous'. It's a good word isn't it? Outrageous. I like being outrageous. _How many times do you think I can say the word outrageous?_ Besides, you have to be loud when you grow up with two brothers and famous parents. I don't mind having famous parents. Albus thinks it's a bore and James is embarrassed by it, but I like it. I think it's good knowing what my parents did to save the world. I don't feel overshadowed by them at all. Just because I come from a famous family doesn't mean I won't get a chance to shine myself.

Have you met my best friend Kaitlin? Isn't she amazing! I wished my brother saw more of how amazing she is. I think they'd make an amazing couple and just think of all the beautiful children they'd have together. I think at some point we've all wondered about the two of them getting together but it just hasn't seemed to have happened. My brother is an idiot, he always goes after the blonde bimbos. They aren't even interested in him as a person, it's just his looks and family fortune and fame that they're after. I will never understand why he goes for those kind of people or why he never sees what they're really like.

Back to Kaitlin, she has a secret and I'm dying to know what it is. I know she doesn't want me to know but I'm determined to crack it. It must be a big secret if she's kept it a secret all these years…

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**Chapter Three – Lily**

"Boo," I screamed at Kaitlin, making her bolt upright in bed.

I howled with gleeful laughter, clutching my hand to my chest as the laughter overtook me. Kaitlin wasn't a morning person and I always found it ridiculously funny that she'd moan and groan all over the place until she eventually fell out of her bed in a heap of sheets. Kaitlin was not a coffee person but would brighten up as soon as you gave her a glass of orange juice. She was obsessed with orange juice the way people addicted to coffee would twitch. I never liked orange juice in the morning because it made my throat scratchy, but Kaitlin could drink the worlds supply of orange juice if she could get her hands on it.

I was surprised this morning by a break from tradition, for Kaitlin didn't fall to the floor in a heap of sheets, rather she surprised me by getting up in my personal space and giving me a gentle slap on the face! Gentle though it was, she had a strong arm on her and my cheek stung with slight pain. I never saw the slap coming, Kaitlin wasn't a violent person, usually but with her mood on the train yesterday, I should have suspected that something had changed.

She glared at me now and it gave me a new appreciation for my friend, for I didn't know she could give such an evil glare. I actually felt a little worried now.

"I was sleeping," growled Kaitlin.

I didn't want to admit it, but I actually took a step away from her, the hairs on my arms rising in slight fear.

"Well, now you have to get up," I said sweetly, hoping to bring her back from the angry monster she'd turned into.

"What godforsaken time have you woken me up at?"

"You seriously need to calm down, it's only 7:30am, breakfast is in half an hour. I thought you'd appreciate that time to get dressed or I could just pull you down to breakfast with you still in your pyjamas."

"Fine. I'll get up then."

I watched as Kaitlin hauled her sleepy body from the room and off into the bathroom.

She was really very funny in the mornings, so grumpy and disorientated but I couldn't deny that this morning hadn't thrown me for a loop. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of her mood this morning. I vowed to keep my eye on her.

So breakfast today was an event I could have done without. I mean, Hogwarts only has house tables for the sorting of first years and the end of year feast. It's normally just a bunch of tables where you can sit anywhere you like – not the long house tables. See, we have this one table we always sit at and I was looking forward to sitting at my table with my friends.

What I didn't expect was to find James and that bitch Harmony sitting there. I knew this was a ploy on her behalf, to ruin all our days. She probably just wanted to get me angry enough to retaliate then she could play the poor victim to my brother…again. I don't even know how she convinced him to sit at the table as he hadn't sat here since the end of fourth year. I had clearly stated to James that he wasn't welcome at this table as long as he was dating Harmony. Well, there goes my spectacular morning up in smoke!

This new development may have left a dirty taste in my mouth, but I wasn't going to let it beat me. I walked over to the table, determined to ignore her and felt a dejected Kaitlin slide in beside me. Seeing my friend in such a mood made me hate Harmony all the more. Poor Kaitlin…my brother's an idiot. Harmony ignored us the moment we sat down, so did my brother for that matter. It felt suspicious. I really wanted to put Harmony in her place, which FYI isn't next to my brother. I don't know when he's going to grow up and realize what an appearance-based man he is. None of the girls he dates have any actual intelligent or nice bones in their body, they're all after his looks, his name and his money. They're all full of jealousy, vindictiveness and malicious intent. I don't get how he can't see it. Albus says it's because James is insecure and afraid of being alone. At first, I thought Albus was wrong but after months of studying my brother, I was starting to see that Albus was correct. There was more to my brother than meets the eye. I just wish he was secure enough to be that boy we all loved and to drop the persona he embodies at school or around his current girlfriend.

I was not going to let whatever suspicious antic of those at the table spoil my day. I ate my breakfast quickly along with Kaitlin and Crystal, who joined us soon after we sat. Anyone with a brain and a knack for observations could tell that Kaitlin was finding James and Harmony unbearable. I can totally understand where she's coming from. It's hard to fall for someone who doesn't like you back and even worse when they have a girlfriend who loathes you and uses the relationship to beat you back down. It was a sad day when James decided that his friendship with Kaitlin didn't matter. The day he pushed her aside in his quest to flirt with the female population at school was the day I started to hate my brother just a little.

I worried over Kaitlin and James constantly, but I tried not to get too consumed by it. I had my own problems to worry about, like that cute Ravenclaw across the room.

The first day of classes was always chaotic. It always made me feel like I was stuck in a whirlwind, being thrown from class to class and never quite getting my bearings. Don't get me wrong, I love Hogwarts and I'm above average in my class – because I'm a quick learner and I do all my homework – but sometimes it can get a bit much, especially at the beginning of term when you just feel like you're relearning things that you learnt the year before. I swear some idiots don't practice at all in the summer!

Throughout the day, Kaitlin remained quiet as she sat to my left, whereas Crystal couldn't stop talking at my right. I don't mind, it was fun being in the middle of the two of them, but I was concerned that Kaitlin was being more quiet than usual. Kaitlin took her school work seriously, while Crystal was more laid back. I was a mix of the two of them. We're a funny trio, a lot of girls seem jealous of us or our friendship but I've yet to discover why. Others dislike us, but I guess we're not everyone's cup of tea. There are the odd ones that seem to worship us, but I think that's more down to the famous people we're connected to rather than anything I or the others did alone.

After two hours of Potions, I was wondering why I even got up in the morning. Potions could either be good or bad, depending on what we were learning. Today had been back and was just the cherry on the top of a developing bad day. I've a good mind to go find fate and smack him for making my day less than stellar.

Though, by a twist of luck, I ended up praising fate as I saw a familiar shape walk down the corridor…alone. I'd never seen Harmony walk without her gang of blonde admirers. She usually never left without her backup bullies. I silently walked into her path.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, this is a corridor Harmony, I was walking down it just as you were."

"Whatever, you're in my way."

_Did she want the entire corridor to walk down?_

"Are you calling yourself fat?" I asked.

"How dare you! I'm not fat!"

"Then why do you need me to move? This is a wide corridor, aren't you skinny enough to squeeze past me?"

I know it was wrong to sink to her level, but my level of tolerance had sunk the longer I'd had to put up with her.

"You should bite your tongue, or I'll tell your brother."

"Why would it bother me if you told James? I don't listen to anything he says, especially now he's dating a slag like you."

"I'm not a slag."

"Oh, so how many guys have you been with?"

"You're just jealous I take your brothers attention from you."

"I couldn't care less about where my brothers attention is, although I do worry about his brain cells with you around. James and I will always be family, I don't see you in his long-term."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you can't work it out, then it wasn't meant to be."

"Whatever. You're just a bitch. I can't believe you come from the same family. Tell your little friend Kaitlin to stay away from James!"

"Why would Kaitlin be a threat to you?"

"Shut up, I know about her stupid little crush on James. He would never go for someone as pathetic and bland as her. Tell her to stay away, no one wants to see her pathetic attempts at talking to him and hasn't James made it pretty clear already that they're no longer friends?"

"You know what? You really shouldn't insult my friends in front of me."

"What? Because you'll run to your brother? Oh wait, he won't listen to you while he's with me and who else do you have to run to? Little Albus? Please! I'd hardly call him a man."

"Ok, now you've insulted my friend and my family. You really don't have much of a brain, do you?"

I raised my wand and sent a spell towards her at a breakneck speed before I could chicken out.

"What are you doing? You can't attack me in the corridor!"

"Who said anything about attacking you? I was just trying to get more light."

"What did you do to me?!"

"Oh nothing much…but it has a lasting effect. You'll be like that for a few days at least."

I laughed as she ran down the corridor, no doubt in search of a mirror to see the damage. I knew I'd acted unkindly towards her, been the bully I'd accused her of being, but everyone has a limit and I had reached mine. I didn't feel guilty at all in the moment but knew that guilt might creep up on me further down the line.

I couldn't wait for dinner now. I knew that Madame Jane (the school nurse), wouldn't be able to fix her. Some of my spells were legendary and more often than not, only I knew the counter spells.

In some ways, I was more like the Marauders than my brother. Albus didn't really like anything unless it was a book or involved his best friend Scorpius and James used to be into pranking but had given it up when he'd discovered that girls were different. No one however, ever expects little Lily Potter to be a prankster and boy do I love pranking. I try to keep it at a PG level, unless it's someone like Harmony, then I lose my boundaries and unleash hell. The funny thing is that I'm never caught. No one ever sees me as a prankster, in fact no one has guessed that I'm behind them yet and refer to me as the 'mysterious prankster'. I think perhaps, that on my last day of school I'll announce myself as Hogwarts 'mysterious prankster', it would be a nice way to go.

I was walking back to Gryffindor common room when I saw an irate Kaitlin storming towards me.

"What did you do?!" she hissed in my ear.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know what I mean. You have, if possible, made Harmony look worse than she already did."

"Meh, all I did was give her a makeover."

"Ha! Some makeover! You know James is going to kill you when he finds out."

"I couldn't care less what my idiot brother will do. Serves him right for dating such a horrible person."

"If she wasn't such a bitch I might have felt sorry for her," said Kaitlin but I could tell that she worried I'd gone too far.

"You know, last week I heard her boasting about all the boy's she's been with and she didn't even mention James."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it."

"Makes me realise what she's after you mean."

Kaitlin looked at me with a puzzled expression. Kaitlin had never seen James as anything other than what he was.

"They all want James for the same reasons. They aren't even the best or the brightest. He always hits far below the belt."

"What do they want him for?" whispered Kaitlin, looking upset.

"Fame, fortune and social standing. James is the oldest, he'll inherit the most from Mum and Dad, plus he's wicked smart in his own right and I know he'll make a name for himself as an adult. None of the girls he's chased at school want him for simply being James. It's pathetic the way he still goes after them."

Kaitlin frowned, and I could tell she was soaking up my words. We reached the Fat Lady in a comfortable silence.

"Fizzballs," said Kaitlin, opening the portrait door.

It was a rare occurrence to walk into the common room and find it (A) void of all people and (B) deathly silent. It was the type of situation that made you want to run away very quickly. Looking straight ahead I saw my dear brother impatiently tapping his foot. His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes were flames of anger and that weird vein on his forehead was twitching slightly.

"Hello James, scaring students from the common room again I see."

I thought Kaitlin might use this as an opportunity to move away but she had the expression of being caught in the headlights, captive between James' and mines stares.

"Why did you do it?"

"Why not?"

My brother continued to glare in a way that made it seem as though all the joy had been sucked from life. We used to be so close James and I, now I looked at him and saw an empty shell of what he once was. I never thought my brother would be so blind or be the one to get walked over by a girl, but I guess I was wrong.

"What you did wasn't funny."

"I disagree, I thought it was very funny. I succeeded where so many others failed."

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded angrily.

"If you can't work it out then I'm not going to tell you. You don't listen to me anyway."

"Just undo it."

"I can't James."

"What?! Why would you cast a spell you can't undo?"

I smirked at him.

"You charmed it with a counter word didn't you," said Kaitlin.

"What's the counter word?"

"Why would I tell you that James? This is between me and Harmony. Neither of us need you to fight our battles, not that you've stood up for me in a long time."

"What has gotten into you lately?"

"I think the correct question is what has gotten into you James. I mean, I'll admit that your previous flirtations and girlfriends haven't exactly been, hmm…how should I put this? Able to string more than two words together? But Harmony, well, you really put the cherry on the cake with that one. Tell Harmony that when she's ready, she can come and talk to me."

James huffed angrily, puffing his chest out in annoyance before stormed up to the boy's dormitory. I bet anything he wanted her changed back because he couldn't stand to kiss her in her current state. What I'd done to Harmony had been quite ingenious. I'd simply taken away the one thing she couldn't live without, her beauty. Perhaps though, I'd taken it a little too far for I'd made her hair fall out, turned her skin a sickly yellow colour and wrote the word 'bitch' across her forehead. That niggling guilt was starting to creepy back into my body. I could justify what I did to the ends of the earth, but I couldn't help but think I'd crossed a line. I couldn't take it back now though, Harmony was the one with the power to change things.

It was my greatest desire to see her booted from James's life and no matter how many times Mum told me not to interfere because James was 'happy', I was going to interfere until he stopped acting like a robotic version of himself. I was beginning to think that there was something more going on with the bullying of Kaitlin by Harmony. It was almost like Harmony had something on Kaitlin, that made Kaitlin act like a timid little mouse. It was…disconcerting.

Anyhow, after James's outburst, the rest of the day passed in relative normalcy for me. Dinner passed as a chance only to catch up and gossip as food was stuffed in our faces. I was hoping to get some homework started after dinner – because I'm an overachiever – so headed to the library rather than the common room.

It was in the library that I heard the unmistakable sounds of arguing and being who I was, I went off to investigate.

I was so surprised to see that it was Albus and Kaitlin who were arguing. I couldn't get close enough to hear what was being said but I could see Kaitlin clearly and she was in tears. Kaitlin fled without seeing me and I was worried for her and angry at Albus. I turned, intending on following my brother and having a go at him but he'd disappeared before I could move.

I tried to focus on my homework, but my mind always wondered to the life of my friend.


End file.
